“Defensa y Yo” is a program jointly carried out by the Embassy of the United States in Spain and esglobal. This project aims to raise awareness of the concept of “culture of defense”. In order to do so, a series of debates are conducted in a set of Spanish universities, which also partake in the developing of the aforementioned project. Attendees can afterwards participate in a contest whose final prize is a trip to Brussels. The goal is to let winners get to know first-hand the functioning of NATO and the main institutions involved in security matters.
Instructions
- Being registered and participating in the debate are mandatory requirements in order to participate. The link to the registration form will be sent to students via email.
- Only students enrolled in a bachelor’s degree of the participanting universities can take part in the contest.
- Should a contestant be selected as one of the winners, it is highly advisable that s/he owns a B2 level in English in order to make the most of the experience.
- Participant alumni can join any of the debates as listeners, given prior permission by their corresponding professor of their center of studies.
The topics that are going to be discussed in each university are listed below:
The future of war – University of Salamanca
Security, peace, women and conflict resolution – University of Carlos III, Madrid
Misinformation as a weapon – University of the Basque Country
Stability in the Mediterranean – University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona
Artificial intelligence and global security – University Pablo de Olavide, Seville
Environmental problems as security challenges – University of Santiago de Compostela
NATO’s Southern Flank – Complutense University, Madrid
Cyber intelligence in digitalisation processes – University of Murcia
Jihadist terrorism increase in Sahel – University King Juan Carlos
In each debate, a panel of teachers and experts in the field will expound their viewpoints highlighting the most relevant remarks of the topics in question. The format of the sessions will be subject to the health conditions. Therefore, they may be held on-site or virtually. Students are invited to pose questions at the end of the debate.
Instructions to bear in mind when carrying out the projects
Students are given a span of time of three weeks – this starting once the debate has finished – to develop and submit their projects according to the contest criteria. Winners will be chosen by an outside jury made of members of the partner universities – one per institution – and following the established selection criteria detailed below:
- Winning proposals will be awarded with a trip to Brussels, where students will have the opportunity to meet with members of NATO and other institutions dealing with the fields of security and defense.
- In addition, the best proposal will be chosen by the audience through a popular vote (via social media) and it will have a special mention.
- The Embassy of the United States and esglobal will keep the right to use students’ materials and develop or implement their projects, should they find it convenient or meeting their interests.
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The “Defensa y Yo” contest is organized by Esglobal with the collaboration of the United States Embassy in Spain.
With the participation of:
